reMarkable Paper Pro Move · Customization
Custom templates on the reMarkable Paper Pro Move
How to use the built-in template set on the small screen, and how to add your own template images through developer mode and SSH.
For most people the built-in templates are enough, and on the Move the wider, simpler ones suit the screen best. Adding your own is an advanced job — developer mode, SSH, copying files and hand-editing JSON — that a firmware update can undo. If you only need one specific layout, sending it in as a PDF and writing on that is far simpler.
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Use the built-in templates first
Open a notebook, open the page menu, and choose "Template". The built-in set is large. On the 7.3-inch screen, favour the wider-spaced lined and dotted options and the simpler planners — dense grids and multi-column planners are cramped at this size.
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Understand what a custom template is
A custom template is a full-screen background image the device draws behind your writing. reMarkable stores templates as PNG files plus an SVG, listed in a "templates.json" file. Adding one means placing the files and editing that list — which needs developer mode and SSH.
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Enable developer mode and connect over SSH
Turn on developer mode in Settings (this wipes the device, so sync and export first), then connect the USB cable and run "ssh root@10.11.99.1" with the password shown on the device's licenses screen.
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Make the template at the Move's resolution
Prepare a PNG at the screen's pixel resolution with light-grey lines on white. A layout designed for a 10-inch tablet will look too fine on the Move — draw the lines a little heavier and further apart than you would for a big screen.
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Copy the image and register it
Use "scp yourtemplate.png root@10.11.99.1:/usr/share/remarkable/templates/" to copy the file, add a matching SVG if you have one, then edit "/usr/share/remarkable/templates/templates.json" to add an entry — a name, the filename without extension, an icon code, and the categories it appears under. Copy an existing entry's structure exactly.
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Restart the interface and test
Restart the device, or the "xochitl" UI process, so it re-reads the list. Open a notebook, open the template picker, and your template should appear in the category you set.
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Expect to re-apply after firmware updates
A firmware update can replace "templates.json" and remove your files. Keep copies on your computer and a note of your JSON edits. This is more likely on the Move's newer platform, which updates often.